


Common People

by violetsdicaprio



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Class Differences, Class Issues, F/F, First War with Voldemort, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Marlene McKinnon, Marauders, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Minor James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Multi, Mutual Pining, No Smut, POV Female Character, POV Marlene McKinnon, Slow Burn, common people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29637279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetsdicaprio/pseuds/violetsdicaprio
Summary: Rent a flat above a shop.Cut your hair and get a job.Smoke some fags and play some pool.Pretend you never went to school.But still you'll never get it right.'Cause when you're laid in bed at night,Watching roaches climb the wall,If you called your dad he could stop it all.*First year - End of the First Wizarding War*-Canon Compliant-Realistic (includes major struggles of the seventies along with the war)This will include triggering subjects, probably later on in the book. I will provide trigger warnings but proceed with caution, especially if you are young!Feel free to correct me on my mistakes, I openly accept and encourage criticism.
Relationships: Marlene McKinnon/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. 1971: The Sorting

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my marauders fic. I won't keep you long. Thank you for taking the time to read my book. At this moment in time, I am a full time student and work part time. I have another story that I am writing alongside this one and won't be ditching. So, please be patient. There will be a MINIMUM of one chapter a week. Anyways, enjoy!
> 
> Adelia and her family is inspired by both my and my friends encounters, growing up in working class England. I have put a lot of research into 1970s Britain and even often talk to my Dad about his life back then. Of course, it is different for everyone but this is my take. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something from this!

**_IT WAS LUDICROUS_ **for anyone to believe that one had to run at a wall to get on the platform. At first, she thought her brother was pulling her leg when he told her what to do to pass through the barricade. Her parents weren’t any help either, they had nothing but objectification about the wizarding world and was disappointed the day that their only son and first daughter showed magical abilities too. Jasper told her that their actions stemmed from jealousy because their mother was a squib, an outcast in both worlds. So, the two had to make their way to London by the floo network with their trunks half empty. Yes, they were far from accepting but her parents scraped together the last of their money from the end of the month to be able to get the girl a new wand. The rest of it was nicked or a hand-me-down from Jasper. She didn’t mind though, that’s how her life had always been. 

As she tumbled through the barrier, she was indeed on another platform that was packed full of people. It was a strange mix of modernity and tradition as she looked at people decorated in fancy robes and pointy hats whilst others were adorned in the latest muggle clothing. Either way, the two Knightley children didn’t seem to blend with any of them at all. As Jasper led the way through the groups of adults, she immediately took notice of people who looked down their noses at them or the others that had pitiful looks ghosting their features. 

Sure, her leather boots were scuffed up and she opted to wear slimmer fitting jeans that were quite the opposite of the flared trousers that had started to trend, they were Jasper’s old ones which she had rolled up to look cuffed as they were too long for her. Adelia assumed what really had their heads turning was her large leather jacket that was adorned in various bands and a few political movements, it was very similar to her brother's bar with some patches and pins. It was probably shocking to see an eleven year old so invested in world issues, especially to wizarding folk, but when you spend your life, or see your friends' lives, being looked down upon or tread on then you have to grow up much quicker in order to survive. The kids she kicked about from back home were from all walks of life; black, white, young, old, immigrants, gay, trans. But they shared the common ground of being working class and that was enough for them to bond. And the jacket was just a way for others like her to identify her alignments and was safe around her. Though she was surrounded by people that were so open about themselves within the group, she had no idea who she was. People always told her that she was too young to worry about such things but life is short, she knew that. She had known people that were ‘too young’ but were now dead. It was a way to keep her quiet and obedient.

There had been multiple times in her life that boys would only find her attractive if she learned to ‘keep her gob shut’. That was the least of her worries: boys. Her spirals of tight curls were cascading down her olive skin like the midnight waves on soft sand. She twinkled like the night sky when she smiled too. Those eyes were like ice, cold and calculating but she melted at the sight of her sun - that, she was yet to meet. The eyes are supposed to be the window to the soul and if you stare long enough at hers, all you would see was the barricade that had formed over the years. Her mother was Italian and seemed to have heavily passed on her genes to the young girl, whereas her brother definitely looked like their father. They both got to learn Italian as a second language which was helpful if their grandparents paid a visit, not when they were getting shouted at in the middle of their street by their mother. 

“I wonder if that Lupin kid is here. Wasn’t his Dad a wizard ‘n all?” Jasper said as the girl tried to lift her trunk onto the pile so it could be put on the train. Because of where they came from, the two had the tendency to miss their T’s and H’s when speaking. She frowned, that was a name that she hadn’t heard in a while. The boy used to live near her, by the woods. His parents were quite strange people, never let him out and only let Adelia go round. That was probably because of her squib mother. Unfortunately, his mother had gotten ill and they moved away to the coast or something - Adelia never really got an answer.

“Dunno, I doubt that. His dad would let him leave that shack that they had him sleep in.” She responded, shrugging her shoulders as they boarded the train. The pair had to push through all the children that were waving goodbye to their families. 

“You joining me?” Jasper asked as he pulled the door open to a compartment full with Hufflepuff students. Taking one look at the laughing sixth years, she raised a brow at her brother. They were far different from his friends back home, she wondered if he acted like that around them all too.

“No, enjoy yourself.” She said laughing, turning to walk away. “I will be telling your mates that you hang about with a bunch of swots.” Adelia countered, getting one last glance at his friends and she shook her head with a smile on his lips.

“Behave yourself, Addie. Yeah, people actually like me here. We already have enough to worry about without you startin’ trouble.” It was good to know that he didn’t lose his accent around these people, she couldn’t stand people that changed to fit in.

“You’re startin’ to sound just like dad.” She rolled her eyes before heading down the hallway to find a free compartment or just someone her age. 

It took her a good ten minutes to find anything acceptable. Inside sat two girls who were ever so silent, it was weird. One was short and could barely touch the floor of the compartment, she had coily hair that she wore in long cornrows. Her most distinct feature was her nose that was long and slender but when she turned her head, you could see the large bump in it. However, it complemented her larger lips and full brows which complemented her brown skin. She was dressed in black and green flared plaid trousers that she had paired with a thin black jumper and trainers. The other looked like she held the constellations in her eyes when she smiled, they looked like the black abyss. Mysteriously beautiful. Her skin was that of dark umber and she wore her natural coily hair that fell just past her shoulders. She had always been quite athletic and tall, giving her an odd look for a girl her age. This girl had opted for a brown suede skirt and a long sleeved,multicoloured, striped top - paired with some scuffed up shoes. 

“Alright?” Adelia asked as she entered, jumping onto the seat. The girl flashed them a smile as they equally looked confused. “You don’t mind me sittin’ here, do you? I was lookin’ for other first years and I assumed you both are. I love your trousers by the way, I want some like that.” She said, seemingly brightening up the other two. 

“No, of course not!” The shorter girl spoke with quite a middle class London accent. “I’m Dorcas. We both just met actually.” She said, referring to the girl opposite her.

“Yeah and I’m Mary.” The athletic girl told her, matching her smile. It was a slight relief to hear her Geordie accent, thankful to meet another Northerner. Not like she had a problem with the other girl but she was just so used to one set of people. 

“Nice to meet ya’.” Adelia said, politely. “So, are you both from Wizarding families or what?” She asked, trying to break the tension.

“I am, Pureblood. Not like that matters, others think it does which is sad. I have two sisters here already and two have left.” Dorcas explained, making sure she didn’t trod on any toes. Instead, she confused Mary.

“What does Pureblood mean? I just have ordinary parents, no magic.” The other girl told them which made sense.

“Exactly what it says, they have only come from magic. You’re like me, a Muggleborn. Non-magical parents. Well, my mam’s a squib.” Ada said, realising she had thrown in another term. “A squib is someone who has magical blood but can’t perform magic and if they can it is basic. Is that right?” She asked, turning to Dorcas for validation.

“Yeah, exactly.” Dorcas nodded, glad she didn’t have to explain. She had a way of over complicating everything but it made sense to her.

  
  
  


✽

  
  


“Oi, Knightley.” She heard a whisper from behind her, followed by a tap on the shoulder. The girl unlinked her arm from Dorcas and turned around, coming face to face with a slender boy with scars that ranged in variety. He looked as nervous as she felt, those strange eyes full of worry. That didn’t surprise her, there must be at least a thousand students at the school. It was easy to confuse his eyes with being amber but if you looked deep enough, you could see the layers of moss woven through the hues of gold. 

“Lupin!” Adelia smiled, pulling him into a hug that caught him off guard. The two almost tumbled but caught their footings before they could cause a domino effect. “I wondered if you’d be here. How’ve you been?” She asked as they were being led away from the train.

“Standard, really. Mum’s not well and I’m still cooped up. Took Dumbledore a lot to get me here.” He explained, looking down at his shoes. Everybody was in uniform now which gave Ada a sense of belonging, she looked smart and fit in - except for her shoes but that was a separate issue. And she knew it was the same for Remus. “How about you, ey?”

“Same as before. Jasper is never around, parents are always workin’, and I’m lookin’ after Phoebe.” The girl explained, shrugging her shoulders. “Enough about me, though.” She added, giving him a bright smile. “And who’s this?” The blonde was slightly shorter than the two and chubbier, his hands were shoved in his pockets as he looked down at the floor as if he was trying to go unseen. At the sound of her voice, he looked up and gave her an awkward half smile before hanging his head again. Peculiar.

“This is Peter Pettigrew. We met on the train.” He explained, looking at the quiet boy. For someone that had limited interaction with people, Remus was far more social than this boy who seemed to struggle with saying hello. Maybe it was just her, the two had clearly been talking on the train.

“I’m Adelia.” She told him before they arrived at the lake. 

“Ada!” She heard Mary shout, beckoning her over. It was weird to be on a nickname basis so fast but she didn’t mind, actually. 

“I’ll see you later, Remus.” Adelia said as she hurried over to her new friends that were piling into a tiny wooden boat. It was four to a boat, meaning somebody would be joining them. Mary and Adelia got in first, taking the first row and Dorcas sat behind them. The two shimmied around in an effort to not block out the girl behind them.

“Would it be alright if I joined ya?” A girl spoke with a strong Scottish as the three girls nodded in acceptance. Upon taking her seat, the girl adjusted her hair that was perfect already. The girl had gold jewellery that complemented her dark beige skin. She had sharp features, one that you’d expect from aristocracy. Her appearance seemed to be balanced out by the way she spoke. “I’m Aisha, by the way. I didn’t take the train so I’m yet to meet people.”

“Mary.”

“Adelia.”

“Dorcas.”

“Friends?” Aisha asked hopefully and the three were quick to agree. One more couldn’t hurt. “Oh, thank Merlin. I was worried that I made a mistake by skipping the train.” She sighed in relief, causing both Mary and Adelia to giggle. Yes, she was definitely from a wizarding family. 

“Thank Merlin?” Mary questioned, quizzically. Both girls at the front were looking at her with an amused look.

“Sorry, it’s a habit. Dad says it a lot.” She explained, shrugging her shoulders before they all turned to admire the view as the boats set off.

It didn’t take long for chaos to ensue. There were protests coming from the left of them. And when Adelia turned to investigate, she was splashed and the smile dropped off of her face. The culprits were two rowdy boys who were sharing a boat with Remus and Peter. Both of them were smirking at her once they realised they had hit someone. The small blond boy looked on the verge of spewing his guts up as he had turned a ghastly green colour as the boat shook. She mouthed a ‘watch yourselves’ before turning back to her friends and they continued to rock their own boat after snickering. 

  
  


✽

“Welcome to Hogwarts, I am Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.” A woman spoke to them as they gathered on the staircase. She was fairly young, probably early thirties, and dressed in traditional emerald robes and a black pointy hat - like the ones back on the platform. The four friends looked between each other as they were slightly worried that they’d be separated already. Adelia was very aware that the likeliness of not talking to these girls again was likely if they were split up. She was prepared for that, even if she had spent the past eight hours getting to know Mary and Dorcas. “The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points.” The girl could hear light giggles from the side of her, it was the boys from earlier that had splashed her. “At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.” McGonagall explained to the bunch of giddy and anxious children. Her brother had briefly explained the houses a few years ago after his first year and she already knew that the two weren’t going to be in the same house. They were far too different. If he was in Hufflepuff, that left Slytherin, Ravenclaw, And Gryffindor; she didn’t mind which one she got. “The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”

After the last of the older students filed through the door, McGonagall returned, speaking in a sharp voice. “Now, form a line, and follow me.” The group of children pushed and tugged until they had formed pairs instead of a single file line.

As the large doors swung open, Adelia was mesmerised and so was Mary by the looks of it. Those who came from wizarding families didn’t seem bothered by the floating candles or the night sky or even the ghosts that flew through the walls! It was surreal even. The lines of seated students observed them as they got ready for the boring ceremony. 

They all stopped in front of a wooden stool where a piece of crumpled leather perched. It was silent until the hat began to talk, causing some shock amongst some of the first years. The ting began to sing and all the older students were acting as if this was normal. The whole hall gave a round of applause when it was finished. 

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.” McGonagall explained, pulling out a scroll with all their names on it. The thought of sharing this hat with all these children made the girl grimace, what if they had nits?! She remembered having to shave her head at six because her mum didn’t want to waste time getting rid of them, over those few months she learned how to throw a good punch though. 

“James Potter.” The woman called. Five students had already been sorted into the respective houses. Since this wasn’t going alphabetically, she assumed this was going in order of who showed their magical abilities. 

“GRYFFINDOR!” The hat roared, he was the first to be sorted into that house this year and he strutted with pride as people cheered him on. 

“Siobhan Ronan.” A plump girl with a freckled face stepped forward and took a seat, she even pulled the hat further down to hide her eyes from the groups of people.

“HUFFLEPUFF!” It called as the girl trudged to her table, she seemed out of her comfort zone. Probably a Muggleborn. 

“Sirius Black.” There were cheers from the far end of the hall, possibly from family or older friends. His smirk had faded as he took the seat and Adelia believed he was about to burst into a fit of flames. 

“GRYFFINDOR!” She immediately noticed the panic in his eyes as he looked at her, realising that she had noticed his worry. But McGonagall moved him along.

“Dorcas Meadowes.” Was next, she gulped lightly and sat on the seat. Both Mary and Ada gave her a promising smile and a thumbs up, trying to cheer her up. However, there was a pause. A really long one. It lasted at least two minutes and McGonagall seemed to be growing slightly concerned.

“SLYTHERIN!” The hat yelled, earning a chanting from that respective house as the girl headed over to the table. She was instantly greeted by two girls that looked quite similar to her and Adelia assumed that they were her sisters.

There were a few more that were sorted. Jack Fortescue, Emmeline Vance, and Aaron Myers were all sorted into Ravenclaw. Aisha Zaidi was sorted into Slytherin, joining Dorcas, with a few others. Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evan, and Marlene Mckinnon had been sorted into Gryffindor. Axel Holmes had been placed in Hufflepuff.

“Adelia Knightley.” McGonagall called and she headed up to the stool, the was plonked on her head and she was so glad that she didn’t have a visible reaction when it began to talk.

_“Ah, another Knightley. What to do with you? You are far from being alike to your brother, though I see the same caring spirit that he is. Ravenclaw would be a great fit for you, I say that you are wise beyond your years and have a passion for music. Not quite the right fit, I don’t believe. Gryffindor and Slytherin could do you equally well. Let’s see how you turn out, shall we.”_

“GRYFFINDOR!” It finally yelled and Adelia was glad that she didn’t have to sit in front of everyone anymore. She headed towards that cheered ferociously and as she took a seat, the plain black tie and the badge on her robes had turned into those of Gryffindor.

“I’m Marlene Mckinnon.” The girl beside her immediately introduced, sticking out a hand for her to shake. Her name sounded quite familiar to the girl but her face wasn’t. Marlene was rather tall for her age and had the perfect feathered hair. She wore a range of jewellery and had the latest sort after shoes. Her accent was strong and likely spoke in perfect English. Dotted with freckles and warm ocean blue eyes, it was hard to not be rendered jealous.

“Adelia Knightley.” She responded, shaking her hand. The blonde was more than intrigued by the girl. She had seen her on the platform in her jacket and jeans which made her look quite different than she did now. Marlene had overheard mother whisper a ‘poor girl’ to her father as she passed. But the blonde didn’t quite understand what the problem was, she looked cool in her opinion.

“GRYFFINDOR!” The hat called once more, catching all of their attention. It was Mary. Adelia lit up and clapped along with the other students as Mary joined her. She pulled the girl into a hug as soon as she sat down, both glad that they hadn’t been separated. 

After at least fifty more names and another ten or so additions to Gryffindor, the ceremony was concluded. Everyone was excited for dinner at this point but they had to wait. An older looking man, dressed in pristine white robes stepped forward to the Golden podium that stood strongly in the centre. 

"Welcome," Dumbledore spoke, peering over his half moon glasses as he observed the crowd. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. First of all, I wanted to introduce our newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher - Professor Brown. I hope you all make him feel welcome. Also, Professor Kettleburn has returned from his travels and will once again be taking position for Care of Magical Creatures.” There was an explosion of claps and whistles from older students, they had obviously been taught by him previously and were excited to have him back. “Silence.” The old man called and the students settled down. “Our Caretaker, Mr Pringle, would like to remind you all to stay away from the Forbidden Forest. Detention will be served to those caught nearby.” He explained seriously and Adelia had already heard about the Caretakers punishments from her brother. “And with that said, enjoy the feast!”

Out of nowhere, platters of food arrived in front of them all with an array of choice. Adelia didn’t even know where to start, they usually knew what they were having each day and it didn’t change. Roast dinner on a Sunday, leftovers on a Monday, jacket potatoes on Tuesday, cottage pie on Wednesday, boiled egg and soldiers on Thursday, fish and chips on Friday, Beef stew on Saturday or Spaghetti Bolognese if they were lucky. Most of the time they went without pudding but if they did then they would have strawberry instant whip - it was better than the butterscotch one. Sometimes, she didn't get to eat at all - especially during those months were her dad had been laid off. Now, she didn’t know what to choose. According to her brother, they got dessert every night! She hoped that was true.

Whilst everyone ate, Adelia watched McGonagall approach Remus and the boy seemed to go rather peaky as he listened to her. She wondered what was wrong but she wasn’t the only one that had noticed. The two boys that had been rocking the boat had stopped laughing and were watching Remus curiously until they locked eyes with Ada and she raised a singular brow at them. Both of them shrugged, not knowing what it was about either. 


	2. 1971: Restless

**_“FIRST YEAR GIRLS,_ ** follow me!” A sweet sounding girl said, enthusiastically. She was about average height and an average build. Her hair was a pixie cut, quite messy but it suited her rounded face. She headed out of the hall, leading all nine girls to a landing of such that looked out to dozens of stairs, above and below. They were all moving! Adelia frowned, wondering how she was going to get anywhere. “I’m Alice, one of the Gryffindor prefects. If McGonagall isn’t available or you have a minor issue then you come to me. I don’t bite, I promise!” She said, flashing them a smile. “This way.” The girl waved for them to follow her up the stairs. “This is the moving staircases. Often tricky and can get you lost in your first year. Though, the layout of the school is quite simple.”

Mary and Adelia had linked their arms as they walked, turning to look at every picture that talked to them. It was all rather fascinating. As she looked up, Ada realised that it must be at least seven floors to the top and there were a few below them already. She had a feeling that they were going to be right at the top. 

Sure enough, she was right. They reached a small wooden door and all headed inside. There was an archway to the left of them that seemed to lead to another portion of the school. Straight ahead was a painting of a curvy lady, dressed up in her finest clothes, who had put a smile on her face for the newest arrivals. To the left was just another wooden door, like the one they’d just passed through. 

“On your right is McGonagall’s office and sleeping quarters, you’ll find her there or in her classroom.” Alice explained before turning to the portrait. “Leo Corde.” She spoke clearly and the door swung open. “Remember that or you’ll be locked out. Try to keep it to yourself, as well. We don’t need the other houses knowing.” She advised before leading them inside. 

It was rather cosy, more homely than her actual house. With the hues of deep crimson complemented by the orangey golds and dark oaks, it felt warm and inviting. In the left and right corner there were alcoves with window seats and cushions with extra armchairs added. Scattered through the room were wooden tables with matching chairs and a large tapestry hung around all of the walls. Just by the entrance was a large fireplace that was surrounded by a large three seater sofa, two armchairs, and a two seater sofa. To finish off, from the high ceilings hung an enormous chandelier that carefully lit up the whole of the common room. She couldn’t quite believe her eyes.

“Come on, let’s show you the dorms.” The prefect said, guiding them up the narrow spiral staircase. They passed different wooden doors before they all stopped. Alice read out five different names, allowing them to enter that dorm before continuing her walk. So many stairs. “Sorry, girls. You are at the top since there’s only four of you. It’s quite small but it has the best view, you’ll prefer it when you get older.” She explained, opening the wooden door to reveal their room. 

Mary and Ada headed in first, taking the beds furthest away from the door. It was a strange layout really. It was more of a semicircle with the bathroom door, a desk, and then the exit. By that was two beds, the redhead had claimed the bed closest to the door and Marlene was next to her. Between the pairs was a large window that you were able to sit on, like the alcoves in the common room. And dead in the centre of the room was an old fashioned heater that looked prepared to be lit. Adelia was thankful to have gotten the bed by the window, at home she spent most of her time staring at the stars. It helped her sleep when she couldn’t. 

All of them were quick to start unpacking, except Adelia. She didn’t have much. Sliding out her trunk, she placed her wand on the nightstand along with her tattered copies of Little Women and Pride & Prejudice. They were the only books her mum read to her and the only books she continued to read. Well until two Christmas’ ago. Instead of getting presents, the three children gave them up so they could have a Telly. It was nice, they actually got colour on this one sometimes, it depended on the channel, and didn’t have to listen to the radio anymore. Though, the two older Knightley children always ran back to the radio when ‘I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again.’ was on air.

Well, she did have one thing. The girl had packed her guitar, it was her most prized possession and probably her most expensive. She didn’t need Phoebe messing with it whilst she was away. Pulling out the stand, she set it up by her bed before drawing out the actual guitar. It was an electric guitar, made from a bright red varnished wood and was complemented by a black pickguard. 

“Oh, that’s so cool!” She heard someone say, making her look up. The blonde was walking towards her, obviously intrigued by the guitar. Both her and the redhead seemed to have brought the most stuff. Because as Marlene approached, her hands were full of records. “My brother plays the guitar too. Well his guitar is acoustic. I can play the violin and the piano, which is not as cool. What can you play?” 

“I don’t really know full songs, usually just verses. Well, I’m trying to learn the riffs from ‘Paranoid’ from a band named Black Sabbath.” She explained, wondering if she knew who they were. Her father hated any music post 1959 so she was very limited on when she could or could not practice.

“They were on Top of the Pops, right? Not my taste really.” Another voice chimed in, it was the redhead that she was yet to meet. “I’m Lily Evans, by the way. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself before.” The girl had the kindest smile that lit up her emerald-like eyes.

“Yes, they were. My brother showed them to me when they were playing on there.” Adelia explained, getting the sense that this girl had come from a Muggle family too.

“What’s Top of the Pops?” Marlene asked, frowning slightly as she took a seat on her bed and Lily sat in the alcove. 

“It’s where some bands perform to a live audience, then they show it on the Telly. Weekly.” Mary explained, jumping onto Ada’s bed next to her.

“And what’s a... Telly?” Marlene spoke as if it was some made up word. She clearly was from a magical family. The three Muggleborns looked between each other, wondering who was brave enough to try and explain what a television was. No one wanted to. They ended bursting into laughter, this was going to be a strange seven years. 

  
  
  


✽

  
  


Finally, Monday had arrived and the waiting was over. Mary and Adelia had spent the first four days or so wandering around the castle as they tried to find their way around. They had dragged Dorcas and Aisha with them and found that they shared potions together so they weren’t completely separated. It was perfect because it was their first lesson that Morning. 

Apparently Lily and Marlene had been able to make a bunch of friends together, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Both of them seemed kind and very sociable, it made sense really. Remus had made friends too. They didn’t really get a chance to talk with them both exploring the grounds. But he had actually befriended those two rowdy boys from the boats along with Peter. She presumed that they ended up in a dorm together. He looked genuinely happy, it made a change.

“Adelia! I told you to save me the seat next to you.” Aisha huffed as Dorcas smiled cockily at her from the stolen seat.

“There’s room here.” Ada replied, patting the space on the group table. There was room for six people as they had claimed the table at the back. 

“If I can’t see the board then I’m blaming you.” Aisha told Dorcas as she brushed past them, taking a seat on the side with Mary next to her. It really didn’t help that Aisha was much smaller than the other three. 

“Should’ve gotten here first then.” Dorcas retorted, trying to get a rise out of the girl. Before she could answer, Adelia interrupted as she called someone over.

“Remus!” She waved, catching the boy's attention and another’s that she hadn’t intended to. A smile pulled at his lips as he nudged Peter to follow him. That didn’t work out. Just as Remus took his seat, the boy with curly black hair took the other one. 

“Hello ladies.” He grinned, ready to cause some trouble. “Oh, Aisha. Great!” The boy said before getting cut off.

“I can’t believe this. You’ve left me to sit with Snivellus and his goody two-shoes girlfriend.” The boy with rounded glasses groaned but he went to that table with Peter anyways. It wouldn’t be long before something kicked off. 

“You two know each other?” Mary quizzed, looking between Aisha and Sirius who seemed to be in the middle of a stare down. 

“Used to.” Aisha corrected. There was a weird silence as the other four exchanged looks in confusion. 

Remus was oddly quiet, maybe it was all the people. He was jittery, flinching at sudden movements that people made. The boy looked rather peaky, much pale than usual. It was strange but she believed that he was just out of his comfort zone.

“Hurry and take your seats. Remember that your partner for the rest of the year is the person that you’re sat next to.” The Professor advised, scrambling to the blackboard with his wand drawn. “If all goes well, we should be brewing your first potion next lesson!” He was far too enthusiastic for the girl and it was obvious that Dorcas felt the same way. 

Surprisingly, the lesson passed quickly - probably because the two girls spent the majority of the time talking. Aisha and Sirius seemed to note down everything that Slughorn said, she hadn’t seen anyone work so hard on a single lesson. It seemed to be a common occurrence across most of the students. She went to a school where the teachers had no hope for the kids, it made sense that other people actually tried. 

  
  
  


Charms came after and Adelia was excited because it was practical work. They were trying to levitate their quills. Seemed simple enough. They had been given the textbook pages to study from and a demonstration from Flitwick. Just concentrate.

It wasn’t long until the first feather was in the air. Lily was expertly hovering the quill in the air, even shocking Flitwick.

“Oh, Marvellous! Five points to Gryffindor.” He said, more than delighted. Now, it was up to everyone else to follow in her footsteps. 

That didn’t seem likely. Adelia had spent the whole lesson focusing on the quill and she had moved it an inch, if not more. She wasn’t the only one struggling. Only six out of the eighteen had gotten their quill in the air which meant she was technically average. For some reason, it felt strange. Like the magic was burning her senses. It was her first time performing magic, though. Maybe it was normal. 

  
  
  


After lunch, they had Defence Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. Each of the lessons were introductions, nothing spectacular. They already had homework set which was to read the first chapter of their textbook. How interesting. To say that her brother had gushed so much about the place that she believed it was going to have this spectacular time here but it wasn’t quite right. It had only been a day of lessons, though. She just hoped that it would go up from there. 

  
  
  


✽

  
  


When the night came, she wasn’t used to the quietness that Hogwarts offered. Whether it was howls from the forest up the road, near where the Lupin’s used to live, or the Coppers barging into a house across the way at three in the morning. It was what she was accustomed to and was strange to be in such a tranquil environment. She already had trouble sleeping as it was and the lack of noise there to distract her was letting her mind wander as she stared at the dark wood above her. 

Some nights she was completely fine but then there were those odd occasions when life finally caught up with her and wouldn’t leave her alone. The more she thought, the deeper she fell and it was hard not to panic. She believed that she was just overreacting. Like now. In retrospect, not being able to do something on your first attempt was pretty common practice. But a part of her couldn’t help thinking that she was in fact broken. A squib, just like her mum. It wouldn’t be surprising. Naturally, she was decent at everything she attempted so when something didn’t work, she would just forget about it and move on. What made her thoughts worse was that she knew that she wouldn’t attempt anything to try and help improve. 

Letting out a small sigh, she carefully drew back her curtain and slipped out of bed with her pillow in hand. Mary was fast asleep, she could hear the light snores coming from the other side of the bed and there was no waking her until morning. 

She sat on the window seat, pulling her legs up which caused them to touch the freezing glass. At the contact, she barely flinched as she pulled her pillow to her chest and wrapped her arms around it like it was a teddy. Unlike at her house, the stars twinkled brightly as they danced with one another across the black abyss. Yes, she may have felt smaller when she stared at the sky, it was a reminder of how vast the universe was, but she didn’t feel alone. That loneliness seemed to trigger her diminishing thoughts. In a weird way, it was like the universe was looking after her - trying to send her a comforting message through its flashing stars. Not like she’d admit any of this.

“Adelia?” A quiet voice questioned through the silence, distracting her from the clear night sky. The curtains opposite her were now opened and Marlene had already met her eye. She wondered how long she had been there. “Are you alright?” That depends on how long you have.

“Yeah, just couldn’t sleep.” She told the blonde, nudging her feet closer to herself to make room for the girl. 

“Me neither.” Marlene said, sitting opposite her. There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes that Ada picked up on as the quietness consumed them once more. “Can I ask you something? Well, it’s more of a favour, actually.” 

“Sure.” Adelia answered, a slight frown forming on her features as a multitude of scenarios crossed her mind.

“Could you teach me - like, muggle stuff?” She asked after sucking in a deep breath. Better to ask than never to try, right? The blonde quickly caught onto the fact that she knew hardly anything, no matter how hard her mother had tried to teach her about the ‘real’ world. She had spent the past four days listening to her dorm mates talk about things that she couldn’t for the life of her figure out. Ada seemed like her best bet.

“Of course. There’s not much to it, really.” The brunette told her. To be honest, that conversation could have gone anywhere and Adelia was kind of taken aback by the simplicity of the request. According to her mum, wizards had ‘no interest’ in the muggle world which wasn’t the worst idea. The real world was anything but sunshine and rainbows.

“Really? Thank you!” Marlene shot her a toothy grin that made the other girl giggle slightly which led Marlene to laugh lightly too. 

“Shut up!” They heard Lily groan from across the room. All the two could do was look at each other as they tried to bury any sounds that came out of their mouths. And suddenly, Adelia wasn’t alone in that moment. 


	3. 1971: First in Flying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW- Physical abuse & Xenophobia  
>  (mentioned)

**_THERE WASN’T MUCH_ ** difference between the first, second, or third day. Though they had Herbology with Hufflepuff and Transfiguration with McGonagall, both of them were going over the basics. It was Wednesday which meant they had lessons after hours, flying and Astronomy. The latter of which she was excited for. Her friend back home, Vivi, was obsessed with Space, especially after the moon landing. Least Adelia would actually have prior knowledge in that subject. After another failed attempt in charms yesterday, she was looking for a subject to shine in. Hopefully she’d show herself in some of her other classes too. In potions, they were starting their potions next lesson and she hoped she was half competent in that. 

That was currently the least of her worries as she stood in a line, ready for her first flying lesson. Her and Mary had run off to the end, trying to hide away from the rest of the house. Unfortunately Madame Hooch had other ideas as she created a second line to face them as she wanted to ‘keep an eye’ on everyone. This had left Sirius Black directly opposite her, sending her a large grin. She had learned his name yesterday after lesson when a blonde fourth year had stormed over to him at the Gryffindor table, cursing his name as she dragged him out of the hall. Apparently his family was less than pleased by his sorting, she heard a mention of a howler being on the way. 

Marlene had explained what it was for the three muggleborns. Apart from that, the two hadn’t really spoken since Monday night. The blonde had befriended the other girls from Gryffindor which made sense as the others had different friends outside of the dorm. She stood at the other end of the line, between Jules Browning and Herrow Sewlyn. They seemed just like the girl. On the first weekend here, the three girls were strutting around together in the latest fashion, she swore that Jules even owned designer pieces. 

Jealousy seemed extreme. It was vulgar, even. She didn’t like the word. There was a negative connotation sewn through the word. But that sense of desire was there. Every time she saw the girl, that feeling was there. Sure, she didn’t know a lot about her but not only was from a rich family, she was already the prettiest girl of their year, she dressed well, talked well, was kind to everyone she was around, and was undeniably intelligent. It was hard to deny that sense of wanting whenever she was around, even if she didn’t know her full story. Because nobody’s perfect, she knew that and was well aware of that fact but people constantly got close. 

“Listen to me carefully. You do as I say and you’ll be able to avoid injury.” Hooch said, marching down the centre of the children. “To the right of your brooms, everyone.” She said, watching as they scrambled into the right position. “Come on, now.” Hooch told them, not wanting any messing about. “Raise your left hand over the broom and firmly say ‘up’ until the broom lands in your hand. Then you wait. Nothing more without my instruction.”

There was a flurry of ‘up’s as everyone attempted to summon their brooms. It didn’t take long for the first brooms to go up. Marlene’s was first. That seemed to have offended Sirius’ bespectacled friend as he glared at the blonde before summoning his own. 

Adelia’s broom was rattling around the floor as she tried to command the broom into her hand. She tried to concentrate but she could feel the stares of her successful classmates. The girl sucked in a deep breath. She was too in her head. Maybe that was her issue.

“Up.” She demanded and the broom snapped up to her hand in an instant. Relief instantly washed over her and she couldn’t help the small smile she had on her face as she looked up. The girl noticed that she was the fifth person to have her broom in her hand. Just relax, she had to keep that in mind for charms. She had even beaten Sirius. The boy grasped his broom and looked up to see Adelia already looking his way with a smirk.

  
  
  


“Everyone, mount your brooms. Kick off the floor, hover, and touch back down.” Madame Hooch instructed once everyone had mastered the first instruction. Lily Evans seemed very uneasy about this whole situation, she had paled significantly and had been the last to get the broom in her hand. Over the past few days, it had become very clear that the redhead was naturally good at everything she did so it was interesting to see her struggling for once. 

Taking off was easy. It felt natural actually. For the first time, she didn’t feel out of touch here. That sense of worry started to simmer. But the thought of not being able to do charms was overwhelming. It was the key element for everything. In potions you used charms. In Herbology you used charms. In Transfiguration you used charms. If she couldn’t get that then what was she supposed to do. 

Touching down, she stared at the floor and clenched her jaw. It was easy for her to slip into her head randomly, it happened all the time and at the wrong time. Usually she’d get overwhelmed which would fuel her anger that raged within her constantly, it didn’t help that her fuse was so short and it seemed to get worse over the years. Whether she was mad with herself, her parents, her brother, the world. There was always something there to diminish those accomplishments. 

“Ada?” A voice asked before nudging her, it was Mary. Her head snapped up and she smiled at the girl. Something like that would fool someone back home but not Mary. “What’s up?” She whispered as Hooch continued to talk.

“Just thinking, doesn’t matter.” She told her, unconvincingly. They were all to take off and do a lap around the field. So, that’s what she did to avoid any further questions. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Adelia!” The blonde let out a slight squeal as she was taken over. Adelia let out a laugh as she looked back at the girl who was readjusting herself to fly faster. She had come up on her right whilst she was watching everyone come from the left, giving her a sneaky advantage. The grasp on her shoulder was probably what caused Marlene to shriek but Madame Hooch was too distracted. Lily had refused to touch off the ground whilst the rest of them had been sent out to do five laps. In the first round, James came first and Marlene came second; she was determined to overtake them. 

“What? Thought that I’d let you beat me again?” Ada shouted, jeering the other girl on. The blonde leaned forward, egging her broom on. As they approached the corner, the two levelled. Shoulder to shoulder. The two had crashed together, trying to get in front of the other.

“I’ve been flying since I was six. That won’t happen!” Marlene argued, her eyes flickering towards the smiling brunette. Her curls were going crazy in the wind, blowing out of her face to show those silver eyes that were often hidden. That hint of mischief that she had been transfixed on had caused Marlene to slip momentarily, causing Adelia to race off to James.

She wasn’t sure if she was chasing first place or the girl that was challenging her. It was the same thing to her. Leaning in, the broom began to pick up speed and the two were only an arms length away. 

“You won’t win! Marls, tell her.” James whined as the blonde joined his left side, the two girls simultaneously sandwiched him. It was like they were communicating without saying a word. “What are you doing? Oi, Mckinnon!” James huffed at his friend, their families spent a lot of time together before Hogwarts. “THIS IS BETRAYAL!” He called, looking behind him to find his friends. Peter and Sirius were too busy helping Remus. 

What was next? They were coming to the last stretch of land and they’d be finished. They were starting to head down. Not everyone could win. There was ten seconds until they would have landed. And when she looked at the girl, she could see the actual determination to win. Within a split second, she had slowed down and grabbed onto James’ broom - slowing him down. He looked back in slight horror as she smiled innocently at him.

“Miss Knightley. Well done! You started at the back, that takes quite some skill. Ten points to Gryffindor.” Madame Hooch spoke as the other two landed. James was huffing with a deep frown on his face. 

“You cheated.” The boy said, shoving her as they walked. “Why’d you do that, you didn’t even win!”

“Because you would spend the month gloating. I’d rather take second place over that.” She shot back, raising a brow at him as they were instructed to head to the showers. 

“Second place! More like third.” He scoffed as they both put their brooms back. Hooch was still talking to Adelia, gushing more like.

“I touched down before you. That means that I got second.” Marlene said, rolling her eyes at the boy who kicked the muddy floor.

“How am I supposed to go on now? Quidditch is what I’m good at and you’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone in Gryffindor!” James whined as they reached the changing room tents.  _ Guilt tripping twat _ , she thought as she shook her head at him.

“Have a shower and cry about it.” She told him, tapping his shoulder condescendingly. She pulled back the flap of the tent and headed in, having had enough of his ‘only child’ behaviour.

“WHAT IF I DROWNED MYSELF, MCKINNON. THAT’S ON YOU!” James cried from outside the tent, followed by a chorus of laughs.

  
  
  


By the time she got to the tent, half of the girls had left. She grabbed her shampoo and showered quickly. It felt good to win. Hooch had already gushed about the Gryffindor quidditch team and how she’d be perfect to join next year. That was unlikely. Her brother was the Hufflepuff keeper and she found herself growing bored whenever he brought up the game. She understood why people were interested, like she understood her mates fascination with footy but she never got into it herself. 

She collected her robes from her locker and began to change. The girl had paused as she almost finished buttoning up her shirt. Just like her legs, her arms were covered in scars. Most of them were from cuts and scrapes but those near her inner elbow were not. They were small and jagged circles of thin skin that had healed. But there were two from this summer. Bright red and seemingly larger than the others, fresh cigarette burns. 

It started last year when her father was first laid off. He was a miner and spent most of the week away. She hadn’t needed to see him. Then, all of a sudden, he was home all the time. Instead of drinking at the pub and coming home at midnight, he drank at home. And of course, it had nothing to do with her but she had the blame put on her whenever he was pissed off - when their mother was at work. He’d gone from always being busy to do nothing at all so of course he was nit picking at all the little things. 

Either it was or Phoebe. Whenever he dared get close to the girl, she’d do something that would distract him from the younger girl. It would be a slap or a shove, at first. After that, it was anything he knew would strike pain. More and more force was used each time. If she even dared flinch, he’d do it again. But things got worse when he finally went back to work a few months later. He was talked about because Adelia had gone to school with a black eye. So, it became things that she could hide easily but things that would be a reminder. Now, he didn’t have a motive. One time she was just trying to get some breakfast and accidentally got in his way.

He had fallen into the well of his own self loathing. Neither of her parents had amounted to anything. They had been promised grand lives as children and neither had gotten that. He had dropped out of secondary school at sixteen to support Adelia’s mum because she was pregnant with Jaspar. He had been disowned because she was a slightly ‘tanned foreigner’. His family had ‘traditional British values’ as Ada had heard her dad say before. No, they were bigots and that had been one of the main reasons that she had thrusted herself into politics with her brother. At the end of the day, she was still white, straight, and wasn’t trans; she knew what privilege she had compared to her friends at home. So, she stood up for them when they couldn’t do it themselves.

Everyone got their worse traits from their parents. She got her dad’s anger and her mum’s stubbornness as well as both of their need to mask their emotions. All the children got that last one. 

When she got that Hogwarts letter, she had never felt more relief. But it meant leaving everyone behind, including Phoebe. They could survive without her, of course, but life should be more than that. Here at Hogwarts, most of them hadn’t had a day of worry. And that was another thing that she was envious of. They got to be children. Like when she was flying, she got to be a child too. As soon as that had passed, she was dragged back under whilst everyone around her coasted above.

“Adelia, are those-” Someone said, laced with concern, pulling her out of her thoughts. She didn’t bother hiding them, it wasn’t like there was any point to her doing so. Simply, she closed her locker and turned to the girl.

_ Of course it was Marlene _ , she thought as she folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the locker.

“Yes.” Ada said blankly, taking the girl by surprise. “What do you want?” She asked, pulling on her cloak as she tied her tie. All she could see was Marlene’s mind ticking away as she tried to think of what to say because she had been so straight forward about it.

“Who did that?” Marlene asked softly, taking a step forward. Adelia stepped back, staring at the girl.

“That’s none of your business.” She retorted, shutting her locker. The girl picked up the sweaty flying uniform and placed the pieces into the wash basket. Apparently House elves did most of the care taking here, Mary and Adelia had to ask Dorcas and Aisha what they even were.

“Adelia, wait.” She said, thinking that Ada was leaving her and the brunette had weighed up that option. 

“I’m not going anywhere.” The girl said quietly, leaning against the wall. What does running away do? If she could stand her ground whilst someone threatened to beat up her and her friends, she could do the same now. 

“You can talk to me. I’ll listen. I won’t say anything either. I know that i don’t understand but-”

“Exactly. You don’t understand.” Ada interrupted her, not daring to raise her voice. “Look, I get that you’re trying to be nice but I don’t need any help. I’m fine here.” She explained, looking away momentarily. It wasn’t time to get emotional. “Plus, I don’t know you.”

“That’s how I can help. You don’t know me. There’s no expectation or need to fear. It’s just someone that’ll listen.” Marlene countered, blissfully unaware. She couldn’t have her look down upon her once she confessed certain things about herself. Something about the blonde made her yearn for her approval and she didn’t understand why her opinion mattered. It was usually ‘fuck you’ and move on.

“I don’t need help. I ain’t a charity case.” She argued, feeling herself getting slightly heated. Her hands clenched as she tried to calm herself down with her nails digging into her hands sharply. Eyes fluttering shut, she sucked in a quick breath as she sat down on the floor. “Look. It’s not happening anymore. I’ve forgotten, yeah. It’s fine.” 

Marlene joined her, sitting down next to her. They were both silent. There were the shouts and whistles coming from the quidditch pitch as the Gryffindor team was practicing. That was it. Maybe the small flickering of breath or sound of moving material. That was it. Both of them together with no one else to bother them. It was nice. A mutual understanding.  _ That was it… _

“Don’t take what I said personally. I’m used to being the one helping others, not the other way around. Back home, we all struggle together. Here, it feels like I’m the only one. I know that’s not true. Everyone else is better at hiding where they come from.” Adelia told the blonde, focusing on the ground in front of them.

“You don’t need to hide where you came from. I think it is pretty cool that you don’t. You’re unique, you know?” Marlene said, causing the brunette to turn towards her. 

“You think so?” She asked as the blonde began to smile brightly at her.

“Have you seen yourself? I guess you have this aura that nobody else has, especially in your leather jacket. It is rather intimidating actually. I am 99% sure James and Sirius are scared of you and I know that James has never feared anyone.” It was weird hearing this from the girl that she envisioned having this pristine life. To be honest, it left her more curious about Marlene and her life. This ‘aura’ was just something she had picked up from running around the streets since she could walk.

“We should make that 100%” Adelia said with an amused smile, making the other girl giggle. Someone might be able to put James Potter in his place. That’ll be the day, wouldn’t it. But if it was going to be anyone, it would likely be her.


	4. 1971: Moaning Myrtle

**_“I KNOW WHAT_ ** a camera is, we have them in the wizarding world. Like just standard cameras.” Marlene explained in a hushed whisper as the two sat in the window seat in the common room. The older students were studying already which meant they had to be quiet. They couldn’t go upstairs either, Lily was writing up her Potions essay about the cure for boils that they had made that week.

“How do they move then?” Adelia asked, frowning slightly. She had wondered what they did to make the portraits and pictures move. At first she assumed that they were painted animation style but that seemed excessive.

“Developing solution. It’s like a potion.” She told her, trying to predict her next question. “The paintings use enchantments throughout the process to get them to move and talk.” 

“That makes sense,” The brunette said mindlessly. “We’ve gone over what a Telly, Camera, Fridge, Iron, and a radio is. Anything else that we’ve mentioned that you don’t know?”

“Hey! I knew what a camera and radio was.” Marlene objected, earning the two a glare from students at nearby tables. “Sorry.” She said softly, giving them an innocent smile that could wash away anyones fury. 

“They’re still muggle inventions, though.” Ada countered, raising a brow at her with a slight smile on her lips. “Maybe we should do an on-the-go thing.”

“What do you mean by that?” The blonde quizzed, often catching herself confused by Adelia’s phrases or ‘slang’.

“Like instead of sitting down and talking everything over, you just ask when you hear something that you don’t know of or understand. There’s a lot to the ‘muggle world’ which would probably just overwhelm you if I sit here and tell you about all of it.”

“Yeah, we’ll do that.” She smiled before hopping off the seat. “I’ll go get Lily for dinner. Save us a seat!” Marlene instructed as she headed up the stairs. 

After a brief pause, Adelia hauled herself up and headed out the common room. She and Mary had landed themselves in detention with McGonagall because their essays were very similar and neither of them confessed to copying. It was Ada that had copied but that wasn’t something that their head of house had to know. Anyways, Mary had an hour with her currently and Adelia had her hour after dinner. 

“Addie!” Someone called as she entered the hall, knowing her brother was the only one here that would call her that. Rolling her eyes, she headed to the Hufflepuff table to see what the boy wanted.

“What do you want?” The younger sibling asked, folding her arms over her chest as the boy turned to talk to her. His smile seemed to falter at the tone of her voice.

“Why do you have to act like that? You’re not at home now you know.” Jaspar spoke in an accusatory tone. The girl scoffed, shaking her head at him.

“Like what? Least I don’t change myself to fit in with people that wouldn’t give a **fuck** about you if you met them back home.” She hissed, grabbing the attention of his friends that seemed rather shocked by her words. The boy clenched his jaw lightly, seeing some truth in her statement. 

“Woahhh-” One of them spoke, in an alarmed tone. Her eyes shot up to him. He had bright blonde hair, a slim build, pale skin, freckles, and bright puppy dog eyes. Now, she remembered why Marlene’s name was so familiar. This was her oldest brother Matthew Mckinnon, aka one of her brother’s best friends. There was another brother Milo who was in the year above them and a sister who was significantly younger, called Mabel.

“Addie.” He said sternly, causing the girl to mutter an apology. “I was checking to see how you are.” Jaspar had heard about her detention and he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Just like her friends back home, she had never taken school seriously. According to him, she was ‘conditioned’ by the older kids that she hung around with. It was partially true but Adelia had sought importance in other subjects outside of Academic subjects. He just hoped that Hogwarts may change her stance.

“I’m just dandy, thanks.” The girl said in a blank tone. He never cared before. When he came home, he never talked about her or asked how she was. It was always about Hogwarts or Quidditch or Professor Slughorn and his stupid club.

“Alright, just checking.” He sighed, turning back around. Giving her the que to leave and she did. _What a twat_ , she thought as she stepped away.

“Well, she seems lovely.” She overheard one of his friends say.

“ _She_ can still hear you.” The girl called over her shoulder, heading back to Gryffindor table with a frown on her face as she took a seat in her regular spot.

“What crawled up your arse and died.” Someone said, taking a seat next to her. Mary. WHo else would it be? 

“Brotherly issues.” Adelia said, leaning into the girl.

“I wouldn’t know.” Mary flashed a grin as she began to plate up some food. It was true, she had no siblings at all which Ada deemed a win-win situation. 

“How was detention?” Adelia asked, taking a bite of a bread roll. An amused smile on her lips as Mary raised a brow at her.

“Oh you know, I love spending my time writing lines.” Mary said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “But I guess it was worth it, for you.” She added, a smirk pulling on her lips.

“What would I do without you?” The girl sighed dramatically, earning a small laugh from her friend.

“Well, I would say that you’d be in detention more often but that seems a little bit obvious.” She shot back as Marlene and Lily took their seats opposite them and the conversation shifted into small talk. 

  
  


✽

  
  


“Settle down, Gryffindors.” Professor Flitwick called, silencing the excited class. They had been tasked with levitating a table in order for him to see the skill level after three weeks of classes. He needed to see if everyone was ready to move on.

Adelia felt sick. So queasy that she felt like her internal organs were going to spill out her mouth. It was the anticipation. Everyone else seemed so confident about the spell and she couldn’t levitate her quill. She was just preparing to be a laughing stock.

“You’ll come up, one by one. Whilst people do their demonstration, you will begin your essay on the spell. If I catch you watching, I will deduct house points. Be fair to your classmates. Not everyone likes to show off.” The Professor said, side eyeing both James and Sirius who didn’t look phased about the subtle call out. “Mr. Abbott. You’re up first.”

  
  
  


It didn’t take long for Adelia to be called up. She dropped her quill in the ink pot and grabbed her wand, focusing on the bile that was rapidly climbing her throat. Nobody was even watching but that didn’t change the nerves that had been chewing away at her all morning. She hadn’t really spoken of her magical troubles with anyone. Why would she? They’d probably assume that she was a squib just like her mother. That couldn’t be true. She had overheard Peter talk about squibs not being accepted into Hogwarts.

“Ready, Ms. Knightley?” Flitwick asked with an encouraging smile, one that didn’t help but was certainly a kind gesture. Her hands were trembling at her side as she muttered the incantation in her mind with her left hand tracing the pattern, her eyes fluttering closed. Focus on the table. “Oh my!” The man cried and her eyes snapped open, followed by a loud thud. 

He was staring with his mouth agape at the table before swivelling round to face the rest of the class. They were all busy working. But he couldn’t comprehend what she had done. The professor looked for an excuse but couldn’t find one.

“It is alright Ms. Knightley. If you can’t perform the spell then you can come back after lessons for a bit of tutoring. You don’t need somebody to help you.” He instructed, turning to the girl with a pitiful smile. Her brother was a great charms student but he was aware of the family's peculiar arrangement. It is very unlikely for two children from the same family to achieve wizard or witch status without a parent having active magical blood. Not impossible. But they were the first case that he had dealt with at Hogwarts.

“Nobody is helping me, Professor. Not that I know of.” She said, quite confused by the accusatory man. In truth, nobody had helped her levitate that table but she was vastly unaware of what she had done herself.

“Well, do it again. Wand up, stable stance.” He instructed, trying to prove his theory wrong. Maybe she had used her wand and he hadn’t seen. That was the only explanation, right?

She gulped, turning her attention to the table. Relax. Getting a broom to meet your hand was very different to casting a spell, apparently. Trying to relax didn’t help. She was either too focused or not focused enough. It was a nightmare really. Her hand hadn’t stopped shaking which wasn’t much help either. 

“Wingardium Leviosa.” Adelia pronounced perfectly with the perfect wand work to match. Nothing happened. She frowned, going to try again and again and again. Not working. Each time she grew incredibly more frustrated. She had done everything correctly, it still wasn’t working. It took every part of her not to grow irked and want to hit something. There was no point.

“I have not excused you from class yet. Miss- Ms Knightley.” The slam of the door caught the children’s attention, causing them to share bewildered looks.

“Nut case, that one.” Sirius said, rather amused. 

“Shut up, Black.” “Watch your mouth.” Marlene and Mary defended at the same time. Mary’s glare had been enough to wipe the smirk straight off his lips, rendering the boy silent. It was a skill she had perfected long ago, going to school with mainly boys.

  
  
  
  


Her excursion out of the lesson was more difficult than expected. There were more teachers roaming the corridors than she had first anticipated. After a few weeks of exploring, Adelia had mapped out the castle in her head as if it was the back of her hand. Most other first years still struggled to find their way to the Great Hall and back. It was very useless in terms of helping her in lessons but had provided her with some great hideout spots, including a short cut or two. 

With heavy footsteps approaching, she had no other option than to slip into the abandoned girls’ bathroom. According to the older students, no one ever went in there. Somebody haunted the bathroom but Adelia had gotten more comfortable with the ghosts at Hogwarts. Well, apart from Peeves. He liked making everyone’s life a living hell, especially first years.

“Who’s there!” A sharp voice shrieked, making the girl jump. It was better than being caught by Pringle so she didn’t mind.

“Uhm… My name’s Adelia. What’s yours?” The girl asked the empty room, cautiously taking a step forward. A silence followed. It was strange and then there was a quiet sob coming from the toilet stall. “Are you okay?” She questioned, speaking in a much softer tone. 

A school girl, not much older than her, had come through the stall door. She was more of a bluish grey compared to the bright white ghosts that typically roamed the castle. The ghost seemed pained. Her hair was in perfect bunches which she had paired with rather thick lensed glasses. On top of that, her uniform was quite different. She didn’t have a specific house on her robe or tie and her skirt had reached past her knees. 

“Nobody ever asks me that.” The ghost says, staring at the young Gryffindor. She was so familiar to Myrtle but couldn’t place where from or who she reminded her of. But the smile that she flashed was as beautiful as one that had roamed these halls many years ago. It was a smile that she had somehow forgotten though. Intentionally or not. 

“For your name or if you're okay?” Ada quizzed, growing concerned. _Poor girl_ , she thought. But then again, she understood. Without her friends back home, she’d be in the same boat as this ghost.

“Both.” She sniffled, “Nobody ever wants to listen to miserable, mopping, moaning Myrtle.” The girl spat. Yes, that’s why people avoided the bathroom. She wasn’t that bad, surely.

“Don’t you get lonely here, Myrtle? The older students say to avoid coming in here. I think that’s rather harsh, you’ve been nice to me.” Adelia said, taking a seat against the wall that faced the sinks.

“People make fun of me. They did at school and still do now!” Myrtle cried, hovering in front of her with a curious expression. “I haven’t been nice. I’ve tolerated you.” She corrected her, childishly.

“You don't have to be defensive with me.” Ada countered, making the ghost scoff and float away to the window where she sat - kind of. Can ghosts sit? She thought before clearing her mind again. “Myrtle, have you thought of being nice to others? Not to come off as rude but you give me the impression that you don’t try with people. Like, there’s a phrase in the muggle world. Are you a muggleborn?” She asked, receiving a slight nod. “Treat people how you want to be treated.”

“You don’t understand! Why should I try?” The ghost snapped, glaring at her ferociously at the brunette who shrugged in return. 

“If you want people to like you, it’s a two way thing.” She instructed, earning a huff from Myrtle. She’d take that as a maybe. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You’ve already asked me a hundred.” Myrtle retorted, snobbishly. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“Perhaps, I find you interesting.” Adelia told the ghost, who was slightly shocked by her answer. “You look like you’ve been here a while. Is it common for first years to struggle with magic?” 

“Not in the slightest.” She said, filling Ada’s stomach with that clawing sensation that came with the nerves. “I guess people are better at certain subjects. I was good at Herbology but not potions. Slughorn wasn’t one to help girls anyways.” Myrtle said snottily, trying to push the blame off herself.

“What about charms?” Adelia asked, gnawing at her bottom lip. 

“In the first few weeks, not everyone was able to cast basic spells but you catch up.” Myrtle answered, softly spoken for once.

That wasn’t good enough. There was no doubt that people looked at her differently, they took one look at her outfits on a weekend and turned their noses up at her. It was the presumptions that were the worst. Sure, she hadn’t helped her reputation by getting detention and missing work or even losing house points but that wasn’t the point. People like Remus and James had done the same but nobody looked at them with the same distaste. She hadn’t figured out if that was actually because she was poor, muggleborn, or just because she was a woman.

“My turn.” Myrtle said, floating down to the floor and sat crossed legged in front of her.

“Huh?” The brunette was pulled out of her thoughts, making the ghost laugh. It was a shrill laugh that went right through her but it was bearable.

“My turn to ask a question.” Her demeanor was much calmer now but Adelia expected her to lash out at any moment. “Why did you come here? Especially since people have warned you not to come here. Nobody ever does. Unless they’re looking to start trouble, that is.” Myrtle’s last sentence was through gritted teeth as she looked around suspiciously, as if she was waiting for Ada to prank her. 

“Well, I got frustrated and just walked out of class, I guess.” Ada explained, picking at the skin around her thumbs. Force of habit. “Pringle was around and I’m well aware of his punishments so I came in here. I’m not one for rumours.” 

The ghost visibly flinched at the mention of Pringle’s name, obviously well aware of the man. At that thought, she had to be from this century right. The caretaker was old but he wasn’t ancient. In fact, he was younger than Dumbledore. Strange.

“I won’t tell on you, on one condition.” Myrtle said, catching the girl’s attention. Of course there was something else, she couldn’t just keep her lips locked. There may be a better reason that people avoid Myrtle. 

“And what’s that?” Adelia sighed but she was still prepared to listen.

“You need to come see me. At least once a month!” She added quickly, not wanting a simple one time occurrence. The Gryffindor let out a small chuckle, offending Myrtle. Until she spoke.

“I was planning on coming back, Myrtle.” She declared, attracting the awe of the ghost. It goes to show what a simple conversation can do for someone. “Though, I have one last inquiry.” Ada uttered, making Myrtle urge her to continue. “You know a lot about the castle, don’t you?”

“Mainly the pipes but I used to explore.” The Ravenclaw said, watching her new friend curiously.

“Good. When I come back, you can tell me the ins and outs of this castle.” Adelia stated with a mischievous look on her face. It appeared to be a fair deal.

“When will you be back?!” Myrtle quizzed, almost hysterically, as she flew in front of the door. The girl had only stood up, she had other lessons to attend to.

“Next charms lesson, of course.” Ada flashed her brows as a wicked smile coated her lips. Myrtle seemed on board as she moved out the way. That was more than once a month. She tried to hide her excitement but a big toothy grin flashed across her phantom features. Maybe skipping a lesson because she couldn’t do it was not a very bright idea. But she would work on that privately, until she could form a spell at least.


	5. 1971: Wandless Ways

**_“ADA, I’VE BEEN_ ** looking all over for you!” Mary called, hurrying over to the girl with a wide grin on her face. She was currently sitting near the black lake, under a large tree with her back to the forest. It was rather tranquill there. Not too close to the groups of friends that roamed the ground but not too far from the school either, like her own cubby to go hide in. As well as charms, she had to avoid Transfigurations too. McGonagall was far from pleased with her avoiding charms class which was understandable but she was rather interested in that subject. It was a shame really but she refused to go back until she had perfected the spells. She had tried to cast lumos and that one went rather successfully, rendering her completely puzzled. 

“Well, here I am.” Adelia said, sitting up properly as her friend approached. A book was dumped on her lap as Mary took a seat, causing a slight umph to escape the brunette’s lips. She still did her work, it wasn’t like she wanted to fall even further behind. Plus, Mary had refused to let her slip behind. For Adelia, it was bizarre to have someone encourage her to work instead of being the distraction. Well, if she was being honest, Mary did both.

“We’ve moved on from Lumos, everyone was casting the spell by the second lesson. You need to write an essay about the spell like you did for the Levitating charm.” Mary huffed, leaning back in the grass with her arms over her eyes to block out the sun. 

“Bad day?” The girl asked as she opened the book, it was Hogwarts: a history. Myrtle had instructed that she read it. Something to do with secret passages. Apparently the ravenclaw was reluctant to leave the bathroom.

“Obviously. I had to sit with Marlene and her friends in charms and Lily in Transfiguration. Don’t get me wrong, they seem like nice people but they’re so up themselves like Black and Potter. I don’t know how you spend time with Mckinnon.” Mary groaned. They all had a lot to say, especially in regard to Adelia. 

“Marlene isn’t alright when she’s not with her mates, like Aisha when she’s only around us. It’s an act.” Adelia explained, she wasn’t a fan of the others either. Sirius Black had a lot to say about her. “Others are just obsessed with me.” The girl smirked, making Mary laugh. It wasn’t far from the truth at this point. “I don’t mind, Lily. But, Jesus. Have a day off or something.”

“Now that I can agree on.” Mary answered, sitting back as she observed the lake.

“Did you know there’s a giant squid in there. According to the older students, you can see it from the Slytherin common room.” Ada said as she scammed over the page, trying to find any useful information.

“Alright, remind me to never go in then.” Mary grimaced. Though she was fascinated by nature, the girl was also petrified of animals. The exact opposite of Ada. You couldn’t tell what they were thinking and something about that irked her, no matter how hard she tried to overcome the fear. Her parents were muggles and had to collect the letters from the owls that showed up.

“There’s also Merfolk in there.” She told her after reading it in the book. They were currently learning about Merfolk in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Adelia believed they were misunderstood creatures. It was evident that her classmates didn’t know the difference between Sirens and Merpeople, like Selkies and Merrows. They were fuelled by stereotypes and the disadvantage of not being ‘beautiful’ like Sirens.

“I know you're defensive of them but I wouldn’t risk getting in close quarters with them. Like Werewolves. Yes, they’re people and should be treated as such but I wouldn’t like to run into one on a full moon.” Mary said, causing Adelia to frown. She didn’t know much about them but the stigma in that class was insane. They weren’t commonly accepted in the wizarding community.

“Why not?” Adelia asked mindlessly, closing her book to face Mary. She was genuinely curious. What is the worst they could do? Attack or kill you. So could a dog or a deer or even a mouse. During their first lesson, someone had thrown the statistic of there being an average of five werewolf attacks a year. That was at the height of attacks during the first half of the sixties. Ten times that amount get trampled to death by horses each year. There is no stigma about them though.

“Do you have a death wish?” Mary retorted, giving the girl a pointed look.

“Makes life more interesting, doesn’t it.” She said, making Mary scoff out a chuckle. “In all honesty though, I don’t know much about Werewolves. I doubt that they’re far from actual wolves. I’ve encountered one of those before. Harmless unless hungry or aggravated.” Ada explained.

“You’ve encountered a wolf?” Mary quizzed, a frown on her face as she was slightly concerned.

“Yeah. Mum used to have us come in early once a month and we weren’t allowed out after dark. Said there were bad people that would visit the street. I never saw anyone, it was always dead quiet which was rather strange. Anyways, six year old me was curious and so was Remus. We made a plan to sneak out and see what was actually happening. So, I climbed out my window and went down the Tenfoot.” Adelia began to explain, only to be cut off by a frown. “A Tenfoot is another word for a back alley.” She said, fixing the issue. “Remus lived quite far from everyone because he lived near the woods. I was waiting for him when I spotted the wolf. It was small, a cub. It had attacked an animal, ready to eat when it saw me. To be honest, I didn’t know what to do. But I remember not being afraid. It came to me. Then I stroked the cub and it seemed to relax, like it was human that sought comfort. It knew me. When I touched the wolf, it knew me.”

“Are you sure? I mean it is possible but you said that it was about to eat.” Mary added. The other girl had no idea, really. But it definitely happened. 

“Yes. There was a loud bang that scared the cub away. I went over to the rabbit and performed magic. It was my first and only time that I recall. The rabbit bounded away, alive. I know because Mr Lupin saw me do it, that’s how I found out that my mum was a squib, he was a wizard, and soon enough my brother was packed up and shipped to Hogwarts.”

“Wait, you healed a rabbit? As your first attempt of magic.” Mary tried to comprehend what she had said because it made sense but at the same time it was ludicrous.

“I’m sure many wizards can do that. Besides, it wasn’t that complicated to do.” She commented, looking across the grounds as the sun was about to set. “Forget it, I don’t need you thinking that I’m a lunatic too.”

“Please, you're just as sane as I am.” The girl said with a smirk as Adelia pulled her up so they could head to dinner.

“So, not at all?” Ada retorted, causing both of them to giggle as they headed across the bridge. The two were barely able to dodge McGonagall as she was heading outside with Remus. Curfew was soon. Wasn’t he going to eat? Maybe he already had but he looked terrible. There was more to his story, she knew that…

  
  
  


✽

  
  


Another week had passed and no advancements. She kept casting lumos, trying to copy her mindset over to the other spells but it wasn’t working. Whilst everyone was outside, soaking up the sunshine on the Saturday afternoon. Adelia had stayed in bed, figuring out her next move. Now that she knew that she wasn’t completely incompetant, she was more agitated than she was before. Instead of ‘What ifs’ it was now ‘Whys’ and she had no answers. She had even gone to the library. Something she’d usually force Mary to do for her. But there was nothing in there that could help her. It was driving her mental. 

Focus. Breath. Enunciate.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she whispered ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ whilst her hands traced the wand pattern. She fixated on random objects around the room, picturing them floating. It was a way of picturing her achievement to encourage her to do well instead of disheartening her. Whether it worked or not was another question. It gave her hope. And as dangerous as hope can be, it can also be a massive motivator if it didn’t consume you. That was the problem. She had been relying on hope for far too long. It was beginning to contort her mind into complete worry and borderline distress. 

The desk, the chair, the wardrobe, Lily’s bed, the pillows, the books, the bedside table, Mary’s bed, the perfume, Lily’s trunk, Marlene’s pillows, the rug.

Random objects around the room swooped into mind as she concentrated, trying to levitate them in her mind. When one spell is possible so is the other, what was it that was stopping her? Having no answers didn’t sit right with her and she wasn’t about to go ask somebody, not after Flitwick’s reaction. It was more than embarrassing. 

There were footsteps coming up the stairs, ones that she tried to block out but they kept getting louder and closer. She didn’t get distracted. In fact, she didn’t hear the door swing open. There was a shriek of surprise causing the girl to shoot up. Everything around her dropped to the floor with a thud. Was that her? Ada’s eyes snapped to the doorway to reveal Marlene and her friends who all wore the same look of shock.

“Erm- I’ll see you at dinner.” The blonde panicked, stepping into their dorm and shutting the door before her friends could object. “How were you doing that?!” Marlene quizzed in excitement, jumping onto the brunette’s bed.

“I don’t know-” She wasn’t really sure what she had done, never mind how.

“That’s an insane amount of power to wield that all at once, especially for a first year!” The blonde said, rather excited and Adelia didn’t actually understand why. “Wait-” Marlene cut herself off, looking around the room. “Where’s your wand?” 

“Oh- Erm- Here!” She said, roosting through her sheets to find the wand and revealed the beautiful carved wand to her. Marlene said nothing: astounded. 

“Wandless magic?” Marlene uttered after a few seconds of silence. “Wandless magic!” She repeated, jumping up off the bed. She rooted through her trunk and pulled out her quill, placing it on the pillow in front of Adelia. “How do you do it?” The brunette shrugged, unsure of how it was done.

“Wingardium Leviosa.” Adelia whispered, drawing the wand work pattern with her fingers. It was like a miracle when the feather began to float in front of her. She let out a laugh as she moved it around the room, a beam of pride struck her. 

“That’s incredible!” She gushed, watching with dazzling eyes. The feather swooshed round until she settled it back down on the cushion. “It’s basically unheard of for people to use wandless magic, it is difficult and can easily go wrong. Most people in the world now have wands because it is so much easier to manipulate and control.” 

“What does this mean then?” Ada enquired, wondering if this was relatively a good thing or not because she wasn’t sure.  _ It could easily go wrong _ , she repeated in her mind. So why was she better at magic this way?

“I’m not sure. People learn wandless magic outside of school. It’s not something wizards pick up on, not often. The best wizards of their centuries used wandless magic. Do you know who Merlin is?”

“Everybody and their mum’s know who Merlin is.”

“Really? Muggles know who Merlin is? That’s against secrecy.” Marlene whispered the last part under her breath. “Well those who attempt wandless magic and are successful are people like Merlin, Andros the invincible and Dumbledore. He’s labelled the most powerful wizard of our time. You could do anything.”

“You said that they don’t teach wandless magic here. What if they won’t let me? I can’t even use my wand!” Adelia stressed, laying back on her bed with her hands sunk into her tangled curls. It was just one problem on top of the other, wasn’t it.

“I can help you.” She offered quietly, causing Ada to stop pulling at her hair. Her eyes flickered to the blonde as she frowned.

“And why would you do that?” The brunette asked, slightly confused by the offer.

“You helped me. It’s just me returning the favour.” Marlene said, watching her intently. There was something different in this look, a twinkle maybe, as she smiled down at the curly haired girl. “That’s what friends are for.”

“But this is a huge ask.” Adelia countered with a small sigh. The blonde shook her head as that smile never faded. Her whole face seemed to glow when she smiled, a look that was unachievable if you didn’t have the genetics. That twinge of envy hit her again as she studied the girl carefully, trying to figure her out. 

“It is not. We know that you are very gifted with magic so there is no hard part to it. All we have to do is figure out why you can’t channel your magic.” Marlene said, going back to her trunk to rummage through her stuff. She pulled out a leather bound book and whispered a word that prompted the pages to flip open. A diary. She sat on the window seat, beckoning her over. Adelia pulled herself up and slunk against the wall as she sat down. 

“And what is this.” Adelia questioned, observing the book. It looked expensive. Hogwarts was peculiar, not in the sense that it was a magical school. No. But in the sense of how everyone’s lives were intertwined. There was nothing like this anywhere in the muggle world. All these people from all walks of life. Just in her dorm room alone, they were all vastly different.

Lily lived in the countryside, somewhere in Somerset. Her father was a physician and her mother was a lawyer. They’d spend their summers abroad and Sunday’s at the church, a smile never left her ambient features. Her family had the latest family car and even had their house designed and built on the land they bought. Of course, she followed in their footsteps with her cleverness and positive outlook on life. The girl had an older sister too. She went to muggle school and had dreams to be on Broadway - Lily had mentioned one night whilst they were getting ready for bed.

Mary was an only child and her cousins filled the gaps where siblings would be. Her family lived in a small flat in Newcastle with just enough room for two bedrooms; iit was like a hub of culture, she was used to the versatility. Like Adelia’s dad, Mary’s dad was a miner and her mother worked at the post office. The girl didn’t really talk about her life back home but there was this unspoken understanding between Adelia and Mary. They both knew what life was like on the streets, something that even the muggleborn students didn’t understand. 

Marlene, in many aspects, was like Lily except that she was pureblood. The three had come to learn that the Mckinnon’s were highly respected in the wizarding world and often held positions of power in the International Wizarding Association. Yet, Marlene tried her hardest to be everyone’s equal and not hold her head too high like other respected families. Apart from the fact that she lived in Godric’s Hollow - a wizarding town, the girl never spoke about her parents but she had no issue chattering about her sibling’s. 

Though, she related to them all in some way. Adelia felt disconnected, especially with Marlene and Lily. That’s probably how she attached herself to Mary because they both had a similar perception on life. Mary felt the same. Yes, there was Dorcas or Aisha which could comprehend her struggle in life to do with the discrimination she faced but not on the same level she had experienced it. They were rich and pureblood too. Both of them had been sheltered their whole life from such atrocities that occured on a daily basis that it was hard to connect with them in the way that she connected with Adelia. Friendship based on solidarity. 

“We are figuring this out. Maybe not right now but we can make a start.” Marlene declared, turning to the back pages of her diary. Eyes going from girl to page to girl again. The blonde had picked up on something. A fascination with the girl before her. It all stemmed from that first glance. How blissfully unbothered she was by the piercing gazes of those around her. It was something she wished she had in her. Marlene constantly wanted to better herself and though she said it was for her own benefit, she really just wanted approval. 

“And how do you plan to do that?” The brunette questioned, looking out the window to the groups of chattering students. It was the hottest day since July which had the grounds swarmed with dashes of colours because of the lack of uniform. There was one group she transfixed on. They were at the spot that Adelia had found the other week. Some boys, some girls. They were messing around on the edge of the lake, joking and rough housing. It was obvious that they were older. Probably seventh years. Enjoying what little time they had left together. Who knows what the future holds. Marriage, children, death. It was all the same. The same circle that they were destined to mawl through. All they had was the moment and then they became memories. 

“Investigation, effort, research. Very simple.” Marlene answered. She was so enthusiastic to make a difference, to make a change. Nothing lasts forever. What you do with that short amount of time can change the world entirely or you might not even scratch the surface. Sometimes those who make living worthwhile have one of the shortest spans of time because when you pick a rose from a garden, you pick the prettiest and not the oldest...


End file.
